F1 superstar Lewis Hamilton opens up on life-changing decision that beat his bullies

Lewis Hamilton

F1 superstar Lewis Hamilton opens up on life-changing decision that beat his bullies

Hamilton was bullied terribly throughout his childhood

Kerry Violet F1 News Editor

F1 editor and journalist covering motorsport since 2024.

Monday 3 August 2026 16:45

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Ferrari star Lewis Hamilton may be at the top of the F1 food chain as a seven-time champion, but as a child, he experienced a devastating amount of bullying.

The British superstar has spoken in depth in the past about how racial abuse and bullying was something he had to deal with frequently as a child.

His father, Anthony Hamilton, instilled in him from an early age that the best way to respond to those who taunted him was to excel on the race track.

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Now 41 years of age, Hamilton is statistically the greatest driver the pinnacle of motorsport has ever seen, boasting seven drivers' titles, 106 grand prix victories and 207 podiums.

But the lessons he learned as a child struggling with bullies both at school and at the race track have stuck with him even to this day.

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Speaking to media at the Hungarian Grand Prix last time out, Hamilton revealed the main coping mechanism that he used to not only help him face up to his bullies, but also learn a key life lesson about discipline.

"Karate, it was a really important part of my life,” said the Ferrari star who heads into the summer break second in the championship fight.

"Actually, it's where I learned a lot of discipline, I was just a normal kid with lots of energy, bouncing off walls, climbing trees.

"I needed that energy directed into something and otherwise I would have probably gone off the rails with where I grew up.

"I asked to go to karate when I was six because I was being bullied, and that lasted for a long, long time, the bullying, all the way into junior school, into high school."

But sadly, the bullying didn't stop when he left school and the young Brit found that even as he progressed up the rungs of the motorsport ladder on the way to F1, he was met with bullies yet again.

Despite finding success in the junior categories, Hamilton revealed that he still struggled with bullying early on in his racing career, but that the discipline of karate had taught him not to rise to their level.

"Karate really gave me that confidence to be able to handle myself and handle those bullies,” he added.

"And then when I got to the racetrack, the same thing.

"Bullies are there, so I think it just enabled me to understand myself, understand the power that I have within, and how to utilise it for good rather than negative."